The present invention relates to a stationary record player and, more particularly, an automatic stationary record player having various functions.
Such a record player has been known as being adapted to be placed on a stationary record disc stuck to a picture book or the like printed matter, so as to reproduce the signal recorded in the record medium. This type of record player is generally referred to as a stationary record player.
This type of record player, however, has no means adapted to stop the playing operation automatically upon detection of the completion of the playing of one record. Thus, in the prior stationary record player, it is necessary to mainpulate a stop button, when the playing of one record is completed as well as when it is desired to stop the playing operations. Therefore, if the manipulation of the stop button is missed upon the completion of the playing, the playing operation is continued without making reproduction of signals, so as to unnecessarily wear the stylus record medium. At the same time, in the prior stationary record player, the playing operation is continued even when the player happens to be turned or when the player is moved away from the record medium. If the player in the playing condition is erroneously placed on an other object than the record medium, e.g. a desk or the like, the stylus runs on the surface of the object, so as to be seriously damaged. For the same reason, if a person happens to put his hand in contact with the lower surface of the player, the hand may be dangerously scratched by the stylus.
Further, in the prior stationary record player, it is necessary to provide a spring which always biases the pickup or the pickup support radially outwardly, i.e. toward the outside of the disk, for ensuring the resetting of the player to the starting condition after the playing. Consequently, a large bias force is applied to the pickup radially outwardly, even during the playing. At the same time, since the pickup is rotated together with the turn table, the pickup is biased radially outwardly also by a centrifugal force. These forces inconveniently hinder the pickup in the smooth movement toward the inside of the turn table.
At the same time, in the prior stationary record player, the arrangement is such that the push button for actuating the play-start switch should be locked in the depressed condition during the suspension of the playing. For starting the playing the push button for the play-start switch is unlocked by being further depressed and then allowed to push out by a predetermined stroke, so as to cause the pickup to drop onto the surface of the record disc. This manner of operation is quite contrary to the operation of the ordinary push-button type record player in which the playing is started by depressing the push button and the lifting and resetting of the pickup is caused by the release of the push button. Therefore, such an operation causes quite an awkward manipulation in use.